Model Simran Sood gets bail in Arun Tikku murder case

PTI|Nov 25, 2012, 16:57PM IST

Mumbai: Seven months after her arrest in murder case of senior citizen Arun Tikku, model Simran Sood secured bail from a local court.

A sessions court granted her bail on Friday on condition that she furnish a bail bond and surety of Rs one lakh. The court also asked her to deposit her passport so that she does not leave the country.

However, she would not be released from prison as she is allegedly involved in two other cases. In one case, she is facing charges of cheating and forgery while applying for a passport in which she gave wrong name and address.

In the other case, Sood is charged with murder of Delhi-based wannabe producer Karan Kumar Kakkad.

Sood was arrested on April 26 for her alleged involvement in the senior citizen's murder. On July 6, the Crime Branch filed chargesheet against her along with other accused, Vijay Palande, Dhananjay Shinde and Manoj Gajkosh.

According to prosecution, Sood had married Palande and were staying in a spacious rented apartment at Lokhandwala in suburban Andheri. However, she introduced Palande to Arun Tikku as her brother. Palande in turn befriended Arun's son Anuj who was aspiring to be an actor.

Palande wanted to grab Arun's flat and had planned to murder him. He even persuaded the father-son duo to rent out their apartment to his (Palande's) German wife Nibis Legenza and Sood signed as witness in the agreement.

On the pretext of getting the flat painted, he brought two friends and co-accused Shinde and Gajkosh to the flat and allowed them to stay there. Arun Tikku was murdered because he had objected to the leave and licence agreement.

Palande then took Anuj to Goa and wanted to kill him but the plan could not be implemented as police were after him and were trailing them to the neighbouring state.